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I'd hate more dragging the stupid thing around with me...

Probably the smartest thing about it is that it acknowledges the park. It's just just plopped in like Boo Blasters. You're facing off against an army of steampunk sea creatures who have been rising up from Knott's boardwalk and devouring old metal signs and rides. It's a clever way to explain why rides have disappeared, to see them rusting below the water. Even Wonderland's ride (which is apparently no where near as good) tries to scrape together a premise by finally explaining what's been inside of Wonder Mountain all these years: a vast network of caves and fantasy landscapes ruled over by a dragon (who then - correct me if I'm wrong - is featured in their awesome Starlight Spectacular). In other words, the fun thing to think about is how Kings Island's would [in theory] use the park's history and theming. If it were in The Crypt building? Imagine using the volcano or the goddess in the ride chamber as "physical sets" to break up the screens. I don't know. Cool thought.

It is a nice, big attraction full of shade trees and interesting, life-sized replicas of fascinating animals. You don't have to stand in long lines to enjoy it. You can spend as much time in it as you like (as long as the attraction remains open), you can take pictures, it is relatively peaceful, and it rarely seems to break down. I like it, and hope it stays around for a while.

Me and the youngster went through it for the fist time a couple weeks ago. I didn't think it was to bad. But I also was a big fan of dino's growing up. The older I get, though, the more i seem to like things i really liked as a kid.

I went through it tonight for the first time. My wife and I enjoyed a little stroll through the woods but I also feel like the space could be better used. I definitely don't think I would pay additional money to enter it if I didn't have a gold pass.

The park is very crowded today despite the wet weather.

Guys I just snapped a glider for the first time!!!

If KK never intended to open on the dates that they said to check back for, why put them on the calendar in the first place? Their FB posts are littered with confused guests. Also, why are they having companies renting out the park in mid-May? They're squandering what little demand they have. To KK- Running an amusement park- you're doing it wrong.

I like it a lot. I was always turned off by the short program on each dino and then the 2 minute break they take after each. Just let the things keep moving. Or else what's the point? Either give the illusion they're real or don't. It's just like what Terp says about ride closures: if a ride is closed when I try to get on it, then for my intents and purposes, it was closed all day. If half the dinosaurs I walk by don't move (because I caught them during a "break,") then those 30 dinosaurs must just not move at all. Which is not good show. Either we're supposed to think they're real, we're supposed to think they're statues, OR we're supposed to think they're statues they occasionally move. Which of those is the most engaging? Which is the current plan?

Don't forget the 'educational value.' Yet see Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular. Much can be learned there.

My daughter is finally old enough to enjoy Kings Island! She was very excited to show her shiny new gold pass to enter Dinosaurs Alive. Unfortunately as we began to walk through jurassic island, we quickly realized that none of these animatronic wonders of the world were moving. It wasn't until we approached the fossil digging area that the dinosaurs started moving. Another family that was behind us actually paid hard earned cash for this disaster. So... Was it just a one time mishap, or has this happened to anyone else? (I spent about 10 minutes at each dinosaur trying to get them to move.)

Scrambler could use a little TLC as well.

If Monster gets as cool of a lighting package as SR&R did, I'd be willing to see it down for the rest of the season. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it would be worth it. I love the new night life coming to Coney Mall.

On The Beast: 5-3, last row of the second to last car. I kid, I kid. Seriously that is well known to be the worst row on the coaster. But I'm not telling my favorite row, the magical row of smooth intensity, because it already has a long enough line most nights and I like to be able to get my preferred seat after the fireworks shut down without hearing the dreaded "If there are more than 2 people in front of you please find another row." That's why I no longer wait until the last train or slip into line just before the fireworks start. I try to get in line 5-10 minutes before they close the queue in the hopes of getting my favorite seat. As a side note, for all the times I've had to move to another row at the end of the night, I don't understand why they let the Banshee front row line get partway down the stairs during passholder ERT last night and then ran enough trains to allow every single one of them to ride in their preferred seat - without allowing a single person on the rest of the train to re-ride. They sent something like 6 or 7 trains out with 3 or 4 people on them at the end of the night. Not the KI operations I remember, that's for sure.

I'm super late to the party here, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I went to CP on Wednesday with kittenpooh, and it was significantly busier than KI was on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. (Can you tell I had nothing to do this week?) It wasn't horrible, and certainly wasn't as bad as a Saturday, but it was busier than we'd hoped. Millennium Force, Maverick and Dragster were running 45 minute waits most of the day. We waited about 15 minutes for Gatekeeper in the late afternoon as things started dying down. Up until the school groups started leaving, we rode everything that had no line (such as Blue Streak) and then after 5 when the busses started rolling out, lines dropped significantly. We took a ride on Millennium Force with a 10 minute wait and Dragster with 5. We'd hoped for a walk-on day considering it was COLD, cloudy and windy, but we still managed to have a lot of fun. I'm probably heading back up there this coming week as well.

Wondering how it's looking tonight too. I've got a ton of friends at Coasterstock but none are replying to my messages! Guess they're having too much fun. lol

This morning, via Facebook, the park said that T3 will be open to the public on May 30th. They have been reminding folks all week that the park will NOT be open to the General Public this weekend. There are tens of people upset they cannot visit their favorite park.

...hence why I prefer to pay full price for each drink. (Well, minus the 10% Gold Pass discount, anyway.) Not to mention pay for a locker just to ride one coaster.

...hence why I prefer to pay full price for each drink. (Well, minus the 10% Gold Pass discount, anyway.)

Maybe they could charge $5 ($4 for passholders) for a beautiful Midwestern Woods Walk featuring 100+ varieties of deciduous forest biome flora. (Squirrel sighting extra)

Through some strange quirk of fate, one of my tweets is very close in the running for the most favorited/retweeted prize. As far as I can tell, it is second only to a tweet that got a lot of attention when@KingsIslandPR retweeted it. I was actually trying for the most comprehensive coverage prize, but I'll take what I can get Of all my tweets today, the one in the running is probably my least favorite :-/ If you want to help me win, please go retweet: https://twitter.com/maglizrd/status/599592251799515136

Should we start a T3 countdown? Terp, who likes to ask questions.

Also, I usually see a pretty healthy amount of people back there, even in recent years once the summer picks up around June or so. It still gets some decent attention.

The first few years it was worth it to the park. I heard they were taking in 5 figures a day.

Its the same at Carowinds and Kings Dominion. Most of them work but some don't. Some emit a high pitched noise instead of dino sounds and others don't respond to the "user control panel". My kids love them only for the Giant sand box...

Back on May 1, the first dozen or so dinos on the trail were non-functional, and yes, I attempted multiple times to trip the "eyes". It wasn't until I got about 10 minutes into the trail that I encountered ones that were working.

The dinosaurs are activated by crowd movement and often take a break after their last activation. If you wait for a couple of minutes, they will reactivate. If you look around the display, you will see their silent eye activation and you can walk past it to turn the dinosaur on. I happened to enter once and the group ahead of me was activating the displays, but by the time I got to the first display, it had stopped. Just take a break for a minute and they should start up again shortly. If they don't start up, it might be something else but I have never seen the whole area not working.

Cool. I really liked the Gliders. I got it really high but I didn't get it to snap. It was my first time on a scooters ride so I think with some more practice I'll be able to snap I hope. Edit: I went pass The Monster a hour ago and it's cars (if that's what they are called) have been removed.

I probably saw you at some point and didn't even realize it. I rode second to last train on Beast (my husband and his brother rode the last train in the same seat), and we headed over to Banshee to discover that the line was longer than it had been when we rode it at 9:15. We still got I think 3 rides in, and 2 cones of Banshee Twist, plus some hang out time with good friends.

Last night I was on one of those after the fireworks rides on The Beast. It was a long wait but worth the ride. Then I went over to the pass holder event and did a front row Banshee ride. When I got there the line had just started to wrap around the corner for the front car but it was getting long rapidly. I was happy that they accommodated seat requests as we have seen in other threads that it hasn't been the case quite often.

I'd wait. What if you get to the park and for some unknown reason, 408 people are there? And ONLY 408?

Actually, I wasn't thinking about my local parks when typing that. I remember using free lockers with keys at Holiday World..

They did this last year, too. One of a couple reasons I don't feel particularly attracted to the place this year.

You're going to tease us with the perks of the Florida parks all summer, aren't you?

Pay for a locker? I thought they had them available for free in the queue areas? Oh wait, wrong park.

Definitely looking forward to getting one (or two) these new rides here in Ohio.

Cedar Fair is learning lessons with each new dark-ride install and development. I was taken by the Orange County Register story and how it pleased the young daughter of one of the reviewers--particularly since she was not a gaming aficionado. The ride was entertaining and visually interesting enough to capture her attention and keep her happy. Talk about striking a great balance. The story telling of the ride, as our commenter mentions above, explains and incorporates the history of Knott's and the rides which have gone to the nether world. This element will make it difficult for Cedar Fair to switch the ride library around to other parks. So they have either abandoned that concept or are going all out on a prototype for Knott's. Using inanimate objects as the targets is also a smart idea. No messy Shamu or animal abuse issues. Plus no residuals or actors to pay. Could also be the development of new merchandise lines which require no licensing fees. To proactively sidestep all that indicates intense development criteria and looking FUNForward to enhanced guest experiences, product, and revenue stream improvements. My guess is they already have the Knott's Scarry Farms Voyage to the Iron Reef version already in the can. Will be interesting to see what new wave hits the Reef in the fall.

"fossils" from the Starlight Spectacular remain wrapped around the trees as of at least a week or two ago.

IMO, it's ran its course as a pay attraction. Free? Sure, keep it around but don't charge people for a half assed(present day) attraction.

I'm here. I didn't get to go to the Banshee event, but it looks like a pretty busy day at the park.

Representing ACE at Coasterstock today. If you see me come and say hello.

That looks great. The additional scenery and sets really help enhance the ride. Good to see it isn't just screens in an empty room like WMG. Really hope we get something like this ride at KI

The park is making money. I worked in fast food and the paper cup cost more than the Soda it contained. ( cup was .25 cents ) Considering they are charging you about 5 dollars a soda ( not suvineer cup ) they are making a large amount of profit from drinks that are not included in the meal plan. Even if you got a suvineer cup they charge you $15 dollars just to get one and for every drink you buy afterwards they are still profiting at least a dollar, and if you plan on riding Banshee they are going to make profit from the locker you rent. Also the park is paying for the for the cost of making the food itself. The majority of options in the dining plan have cheap food cost, ( IE pizza, spaghetti, chicken, rice, hotdogs, bread, ext. ). And from the looks of it from above post. People are now spending money and buying things that they wouldn't have without the plan so the park is profiting. It's keeping seasonal guest in the park. Which accompanies a lot of Kings Island attendance. There is also lucrative dining plans for tourists. Other than the cashier and line issues, I'd say this meal plan is a big win for the park.

My guess is that its kind of like AYCE buffets. They make money on some but lose money on others.

Kings Dominions is still running strong and is much better than KI IMO.

This is kind of sad for me. I flew into Sandusky Airport (KSKY) as a student pilot both solo and with an instructor. A long time ago.

I have been in the same situation before with a group ahead of me. This however was very strange and may have possibly been a malfunction, who knows? I made this topic with hopes that it was a one time thing, and hasn't happened to anyone else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a84iMfyQqmA ^ POV. I am usually not a huge fan of screens, but I am SUPER impressed! Now I'm dying to ride this thing. SO COOL!

Seems a LOT better than Guardian. Omnimover vehicles, 3D screens, physical sets, a [somewhat] discernible storyline. Masterpiece? No. Could it stand without the interactivity? No. But a fine ride. Triotech and / or Cedar Fair is learning.

The only changes (that came to fruition) for Kings Island's meal plan have been positive ones (addition of Panda Express, Subway, healthy options, etc). There was no major changes to Kings Island's meal plan halfway through the season last year and don't see Cedar Point's decision to make changes to their meal plan as an indication of what is to come for Kings Island. It is a different clientele up there and was only a change to something that was a last minute addition (from how it sounds). Some seem determined to want this meal plan to fail just because it doesn't market towards them. The only negative I have seen from the meal plan is that it seems to confuse the cashiers, but that was the same deal last year at the beginning of the year and by the end of the year there was hardly any issues with cashiers regarding the meal plan.